Coming Soon From Olive Films (2 Viewers)

[cadavra]

Olive's Paramount deal does not include any films produced by CBS (THE CHALLENGE, DARKER THAN AMBER). CBS owns them and decides whether or not to put them out through Paramount's home video label. Seeing Paramount's almost-complete abandonment of catalog titles, it is most unlikely we will see them surface anytime soon.

REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD should be fully absorbed into Paramount now by their purchase of Cox Broadcasting, but the rights to WILLARD and BEN are shared 50/50 by Paramount with the legal consortium that controls the Cinerama library. It is why Scorpion, who made a deal for many Cinerama titles, could not get those prime two. Some rumors floated that a sublicensing deal was close to happening, but those proved to be just rumors.

I believe WILLARD and BEN, being Bing Crosby Productions titles, have reverted to his estate.

Mike S.

 

[MisterLime]

Olive Films - Price Reductions​

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[Thomas T]

According to Classic Flix, Cry Danger, Young At Heart and Bamboo Saucer have been pushed back from January to April 8th. No explanation was given.

 

[Toby Roan]

I run the blog 50 Westerns From The 50s, and those Republic Trucolor titles are the kinds of things 50s Westerns fans are waiting for. If the material's not up to snuff for Blu-ray, DVD will do.

The Last Command (1955) and Hellfire (1949), just to name two, are ones people really seem to want. (Me, too.)

http://fiftieswesterns.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/battle-for-the-republics/

 

[Mike Frezon]

According to Classic Flix, Cry Danger, Young At Heart and Bamboo Saucer have been pushed back from January to April 8th. No explanation was given.

Grrrrrrr.

"Fairytales can come true, they can happen to you...if you're young at heart."

 

[JoHud]

The Last Command (1955)

Unfortunately that one seems doomed to remain unavailable. Olive cancelled a planned release of this film a few months ago, presumably because they didn't have good enough elements available.

 

[Richard--W]

I do wish Olive Films would reconsider it's Republic titles especially those in Trucolor. People want to see the Trucolor films, and particularly the westerns. HELLFIRE (1948), RIDE THE MAN DOWN (1952), THE LOST COMMAND (1954), THE OUTCAST (1954), and A MAN ALONE (1955) among others looked fine on analog VHS and whenever broadcast on TCM or the Westerns Channel. Image's DVD of STRAWBERRY ROAN (Columbia 1948) and Republic / Artisan's DVD of BELLS OF CORONADO (1950) look lovely in Trucolor. The color is not perfect, but perfection is beside the point. Fans accept the imperfection of Trucolor. The point is too see the films, and nobody will blame Olive Films for the imperfections of the early color technology. Put the disclaimer up that the Trucolor system was unstable, or this is the best that can be accomplished with it, or that you're releasing to meet the public demand and nobody can complain. Just get those films out.

 

[Richard--W]

 

[davidHartzog]

I'd purchase all four of these.

 

[[email protected]]

I wonder if Olive has the rights to "The Catman of Paris" (1946), and has any plans for release.

 

[Mike*HTF]

According to Classic Flix, Cry Danger, Young At Heart and Bamboo Saucer have been pushed back from January to April 8th. No explanation was given.

Does this include Bang Bang, You're Dead as well?

 

[Robin9]

I'd purchase all four of these.

So would I, despite any disclaimer about sub-standard materials. Richard is quite right. It's better to have these films in seriously flawed condition than not to have them at all.

 

[JoHud]

Does this include Bang Bang, You're Dead as well?

Yes, that too. Not sure why they were pushed back. Could be element issues or it could be Olive taking an extended breather after releasing so many film in 2013 in such a short span of time. Hope the latter's not the case and we get some new titles in January-March.

 

[cadavra]

According to Barry Allen, it's the elements. Trucolor was for most of its run done a la Technicolor, yielding matrices which were used to make release prints. Very few of them were ever converted to conventional Eastman stock, and to do so today would cost an enormous amount of money--which realistically would never be earned back by ancillary sales. Sad, but there you go.

Mike S.

 

[Richard--W]

Mike, does that also prohibit a DVD release?

Trucolor films don't have to be on blu-ray.

 

[Craig Beam]

Cry Danger was restored by Eddie Muller's Film Noir Foundation in 2009, so I can't imagine it's an elements issue on that title.

 

[cadavra]

Cry Danger was restored by Eddie Muller's Film Noir Foundation in 2009, so I can't imagine it's an elements issue on that title.

Um, CRY DANGER's not in color.

Mike S.

 

[Craig Beam]

Um, CRY DANGER's not in color.

Mike S.

Did I say it was? Maybe we're using the term "elements" differently. I meant that the film was recently restored, so it's not a matter of the film not being of sufficient robust quality for a high-def transfer. No, there aren't different color layers, but there is a print and a soundtrack. Are those not elements?

 

[cadavra]

Did I say it was? Maybe we're using the term "elements" differently. I meant that the film was recently restored, so it's not a matter of the film not being of sufficient robust quality for a high-def transfer. No, there aren't different color layers, but there is a print and a soundtrack. Are those not elements?

Elements are generally considered to mean negatives, fine-grains or, in the case of some color films, separations. (CRY DANGER was actually restored from a 16mm print because that was all that could be located, so that was considered an "element" only in a technical sense.) As I said above, the Trucolor titles by and large exist only as printing matrices (a sort of separation and completely outmoded today) and that it would be prohibitively expensive to use them to restore the films, given the amount that could be reasonably assumed to be earned back. I never said elements did not exist.

Mike S.

 

[Richard--W]

Thanks for the explanation, Mike.

I see no reason why the transfers that air on TCM and Encore Westerns can't be pressed onto DVD, if that's all that is available. They're perfectly acceptable. Better to have the films in TV print condition than not have them.